When built in 1940, Haines Hall accommodated seventy-three women. A substantial addition in 1954 made space for thirty-two more students. The Reverend Francis S. Haines, a Presbyterian minister, and his wife, Mary Orr Haines, were donors of the building.

Mrs. Haines was the sister of William Meade Orr, an Occidental trustee and donor of Orr Hall, the first residence for women on the Eagle Rock campus, a building converted in 1984 to the Weingart Center for the Liberal Arts.

The Reverend Mr. Haines, a graduate of Princeton University and Union Theological Seminary, and Mrs. Haines were longtime residents of a home at 1843 Campus Road, and held a keen interest in Occidental affairs. At the time they decided to contribute to the building of a student residence, they had been married fifty years, and were honored to have their names memorialized in the life of the College to which they had developed close ties and affection.

A year after Haines Hall was dedicated, Mr. Haines died. His wife continued to live on Campus Road until her death in 1953.

By Jean Paule